Jamie Carragher has said Liverpool’s decision to shell out £35m on Andy Carroll was a ‘big mistake’ while also revealing how the England striker struggled in training during his time with the Reds.

Carroll will come up against his former club tomorrow when he lines up for West Ham United at Upton Park.

Writing in his Daily Mail column, Carragher says he has no ‘axe to grind’ with Carroll and praises him for his Wembley winner against Everton in the 2012 FA Cup semi-final.

But he adds: “If we could have got him for between £12-15m, it would have been good business. The feeling around the club when we were in for him was that maybe he could mature into our Didier Drogba.

“Unfortunately, though, Liverpool’s decision to pay £35m was a big mistake and it never did Andy any favours. He started well, with two goals against Manchester City on his first start, but it quickly became apparent he wasn’t the right fit for the club.”

Carragher says Carroll’s style did not suit Liverpool and he found the Reds’ “relentless” training regime difficult.

“In training, he’d complain if the ball was not flung into the box — and I don’t mean from out wide,” said Carragher. “He wanted the ball to come in to him from close to the halfway line, but at Liverpool that was never going to happen.

“There were other things. He found the intensity of playing three games every week difficult.

“Before he might have been used to getting himself right for a match on a Saturday, then spending time socially with his mates — as we all did when we were young — but at Liverpool the training and professional demands are relentless.

“He would very rarely complete a full week on the training field at Melwood and, eventually, that takes a toll. If you aren’t fully conditioned, you are susceptible to injuries and Andy suffered his fair share."

Carroll played in the same side has Carragher during his ill-fated spell with the Reds, who signed him in a record-busting £35m deal in January 2011.

But after struggling for form and fitness during his time at Anfield, the England striker was loaned to West Ham just 18 months later and completed a permanent deal last June.